Old St. Pat's senior pastor for 24 years is moving on

When Rev. Jack Wall took over at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church in 1983, he found four parishioners in the pews.

Now the West Loop landmark boasts 3,000 parishioners, and Wall, the force behind the growth, faces a new chapter in his ministry.

After 24 years at the helm of one of Chicago's most powerful parishes, Wall, 64, has been appointed vice president of the Catholic Extension Society, a Chicago-based ministry that raises money to support 84 poor Roman Catholic missions across the U.S.

Though Wall insists he does not expect to become president, many do expect him to replace the president, Bishop William Houck, when he retires in the spring.

"It's a time of life where we're beginning to look at what's next," Wall said in an interview Sunday.

Raised in the Queen of Martyrs Parish in Evergreen Park, Wall was ordained in 1968 and served as an associate pastor at St. Ita Parish in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. In 1972, he joined the faculty of Niles College and the Seminary of Loyola University. In 1979, he became the vocation director for the Chicago Archdiocese.

But in 1983, Wall trained his eye on the dwindling congregation and deteriorating Old St. Patrick's--which survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and is the city's oldest public building.

Inspired by leaders who spoke of America's future from the nation's historic landmarks--Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s address at the Lincoln Memorial and John F. Kennedy's campaign speech at Boston's Faneuil Hall--Wall envisioned a new church emerging from Old St. Patrick's historic walls.

"Being the oldest church structure had a symbolic force of saying these are our roots and here's what it takes to become a new expression of Catholic community," he said.

As senior pastor, Wall ushered in a renaissance by introducing a "church in the marketplace" strategy focused on young adults. He provided a social venue, volunteer opportunities and a fresh liturgy that featured vibrant music and homespun homilies. Parishioners now lead more than a dozen ministries, including job training for the homeless, adult literacy education and aid for orphans in Africa.

"To be a church, you've got to have a sense that we're here for others," Wall said. "That's the truth of church. Churches are not clubs. We're not meant to be member-centered. We're here to find God's light in the world."

But as a more affluent generation moved into the area, Old St. Patrick's, 700 W. Adams St., began to redefine what it means to be an urban church. Its ministry expanded beyond parish boundaries by sponsoring a mission on every continent and drawing members from dozens of ZIP codes.

It also strived to remain a neighborhood church.

In 1985, Old St. Patrick's hosted the World's Largest Block Party, an event that draws thousands to Adams and Desplaines Streets every year and has been imitated by churches in other cities. Four years later, the parish opened Frances Xavier Warde School, at the time the archdiocese's first new Catholic elementary school in more than 25 years.

In the 1990s, he led the church through a capital campaign to fund the restoration of Old St. Patrick's sanctuary. On Sunday, he recalled for his congregation how a conservator peeled away layers of paint from the walls of the sanctuary to reveal artwork created more than a century before. He compared that rebirth to the way John the Baptist looked beyond egos to find the divine beauty deep within.

He delivered his homily from the center aisle of the church.

"I love being a churchperson during Advent," he said, clenching his fists and beaming. "I love the culture. I love being a member of God's people."

Afterward, he added that his job at Old St. Patrick's has been a lot like John the Baptist's mission of encouraging parishioners to find their divine spark.

"They are becoming the light they seek," he said.

Four years ago, Chicago's archbishop, Cardinal Francis George, agreed to extend Wall's contract at Old St. Patrick's after he completed his third term. Bishops normally reassign pastors after they serve two six-year terms. Wall, a beloved fixture in Chicago's Catholic community, stayed to oversee expansion projects.

But the extension was not indefinite. Wall began turning over duties to associate pastor Rev. Tom Hurley earlier this year.

Monsignor Kenneth Velo, former president of the Catholic Extension Society, said Wall's appointment is often the precursor to the presidency.

"The most important part of the work of Catholic Extension is to really be able to relate to people and that's Jack's greatest gift," Velo said. "People are the same in Alaska as they are in the Marshall Islands. ... When a person has a warm heart it can travel miles."